The present invention generally relates to sewing machine apparatus and more particularly, to an apparatus adapted to be used with a sewing machine for sewing an edge of a garment in order to form a hem.
In a variety of products involving a sewing operation, particularly in the manufacture of clothing, a piece of one fabric is sewn to a piece of another fabric with the two pieces being used to form a part of the finished product. An example of such an operation is involved in the manufacture of shirt cuffs. Each shirt cuff contains a lining between a top layer and a bottom layer of fabric. Conventionally, such a cuff is prepared by first cutting appropriate six strips of lining from a bolt of material, such as canvas. The bolt of lining material has to be carefully laid out in order to utilize it most efficiently resulting in an operation which is laborious, time-consuming and requires a skilled workman. Once the lining strips have been prepared, strips of shirt fabric are individually hemmed to each strip of lining. This is also a skilled operation which involves placing one strip of fabric on one strip of lining, folding a side of the fabric under the lining, then sewing the two together at the folded side. Further operations are performed ultimately resulting in the finished cuff. As exhibited from the foregoing discussion, the standard method for preparing shirt cuffs and the like involve several steps, each of which are time consuming and require the use of skilled labor resulting in expensive manufacturing costs.
There have been several attempts in the past for minimizing the problems associated with similar sewing operations. For example, Silverman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,366, provide a compact apparatus to be used in conjunction with a sewing machine for hemming a piece of material to a continuous band of material. As each piece is individually placed on the moving band, it passes through a mechanical folder which folds one side of the piece under the band after which the folded side is sewn to the band. A strip of the band carrying the piece is then cut away from the band and automatically removed into a stacker. The cutting apparatus disclosed by Silverman et al, however, is similar to the majority of prior art hemming apparatus in that they employ a conventional "scissor-type" cutting apparatus for trimming the irregularities often found in the raw edge of a hem as well as to ensure proper placement of the hem. Moreover, the "scissor-type" cutting apparatus have typically been located downstream from the folder, thereby increasing the bed circumference of the sewing machine to which it is attached. As those skilled in the art appreciate, the ability of sewing machines with large or increased bed circumferences are limited in their ability to manipulate and sew cuffs, waistbands and the like. Thus, it would be desirable to have cutting apparatus which decreases or, at least, maintains the bed circumference of a sewing machine.
It is often necessary to sharpen such cutting apparatus at some point during use of the sewing apparatus. The scissor-type cutting apparatus used in the past, however, are typically mounted integrally or within the sewing arm of sewing machines, thereby requiring considerable disassembly to access the cutting apparatus. Once the cutting apparatus is removed, use of special sharpening equipment is necessary adding further to the inconvenience and expense of past scissor-type cutting apparatus. The integral design also renders any notion of retrofitting such an apparatus difficult and impractical. Moreover, since past scissor-type cutting apparatus have been mechanically linked and driven by the crank shaft of the sewing machine, the costs and complexity of using such apparatus is relatively high.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a trimming apparatus adapted to be used with a sewing machine which facilitates the forming of a hem and which can be easily sharpened. There is also a need in the art for such an apparatus which decreases or, at least, maintains the overall bed circumference of a sewing machine. Additionally, there is a need in the art for an apparatus which can be retrofitted and possesses the capability of being self-driven.